Somewhere for Little Bear by Britta Teckentrup

Publisher blurb: Little Bear lives happily in his cozy cave deep in the woods. He loves picking berries in the day, listening to the birds sing under his favourite tree in the evenings, and curling up comfily on his soft leaves to sleep each night. But when Bear wakes up one morning to find his beloved forest ablaze, he must make a quick escape, away from his cozy cave, friendly faces and the comforts he knows. He walks and walks in search of somewhere new to call home but finds he's not welcome in the places that look most familiar to him. Feeling hopeless and alone, Little Bear must journey even further into the unknown. And only in the most unfamiliar of places, does the kindness of new animal friends lead Little Bear to discover the true meaning of home . . .

"I must be brave ... I must find somewhere new to call home."

But there are rabbits in the burrow, a family of foxes under the leaves behind the log; and some delicious berries but oh no a wild boar has claimed them. Little Bear walks and walks and eventually he reaches a different forest - a place where he is made welcome - a new home at last. 

This is a book you could share with a preschool group or sitting beside your own young reading companion. The illustrations are so special, and the story demonstrates the power of kindness. 

If your library budget allows, I highly recommend adding books illustrated and by Britta Teckentrup to your collection. Her name is a label on this post - if you click that link you will see lots of her other books that I have featured here on this blog. 

Here in Australia our Grade 4 students have a unit of work about bushfires as part of their Geography studies. I have a Pinterest with other books that explore this natural disaster and its impact on our Australian bush and animals.

Here is another book about little bear:

It’s cold in the woods, and it’s time for Little Bear to start his winter sleep. But not before he says good night to all of his special forest friends—badger, deer, rabbit, mouse, fox, owl, squirrel, and wolf. Now Little Bear can happily fall asleep in his warm and cozy den all snuggled up to his mother . . . knowing that his friends will watch out for him during his long winter’s sleep.